24 October 2012

Don Macpherson: Census shows language laws working

MONTREAL — As Montreal goes, so goes Quebec, the advocates of restrictions on linguistic freedom in this province have argued for nearly 50 years; once the metropolis went English, the hinterland would surely follow.
Defending Montreal against anglicization is still the end used to justify such means as the “new Bill 101” that the Marois government is to propose this fall.
Yet there’s little evidence that English is taking over in Montreal, based on the data on language from the 2011 census made public on Wednesday.